As I sit at my desk and write this column, I find myself conflicted as to how I feel about the impending resignation of Mike Alden, the athletic director for your University of Missouri Tigers.

On one hand, as a longtime Mizzou fan, there is no denying what the man has done for our school.

Gary Pinkel is a prime example.

In 2000, just two years after arriving to Mizzou, Alden hired Pinkel to resurrect the football program, which hadn’t been good for decades (the team had one eight-win season in a span from 1982 to 2002).

Since the hire, the Tigers have won five division titles, made 10 bowl games (6-4 record) and have achieved something never accomplished before at Mizzou: a No. 1 national ranking that came from defeating kansas in the 2007 Border War.

The basketball team has been less consistent, but still has seen some success.

The team has seen 10 NCAA Tournament berths and two conference tournament championships under five coaches.

And Olympic sports have seen great success as well; the softball team has made the postseason all but five times during his tenure, the wrestling team has won multiple conference titles and the volleyball team won the school’s first SEC title, just to name a few.

And the crown jewel of the Alden era: the transition into the SEC.

After Colorado and Nebraska flew the Big 12 coop in 2010, the conference was not sure what the future had in store. The South-dominated conference was almost reliant on the success of Texas, Oklahoma and the other schools in those two states.

The rumor mill swirled throughout 2010, spitting out things about OU, OSU, Texas and maybe more of these schools leaving and joining the Pac 12 to create the country’s first “super conference.”

But instead of waiting to see what happened there, Alden and then-Chancellor Brady Deaton took the school’s future into their own hands, and in July 2012, Mizzou left the Big 12 for the SEC.

The impact has been stupendous on our school, increasing attendance and in turn giving the school money for improvements. At the same time, the SEC revenue-sharing system, which, according to ESPN, contributed $20.9 million to the school last year alone, and the general money made at sporting events has sparked many improvements of Mizzou’s sports fields.

On the other hand, Alden is the bane of the Antlers’ existence. Let’s talk about why.

If you didn’t know, Alden just doesn’t like us.

In a 2013 Associated Press article, Alden said, “This is actually laughable to me, but let me just say this: We have high expectations for our students and our staff at the University of Missouri. Our core values are respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence, and it’s critically important that we represent those values every day in everything we do.

“We just want to make sure that folks are representing the institution with class,” he added.

This was in reference to the expulsion of our group from two consecutive games last season, an admittedly crude time in our history. But even when we were on good behavior, he has made sure we are treated almost as second-class fans.

Some examples: Zou Crew gets priority seating despite their lackluster enthusiasm for the majority of the game, we have our shirts checked every game for “appropriateness” by event staff as we enter the stadium and we have an event staff babysitter that now stands in the aisle next to us at games.

Another thing is the coaching staff is told not to talk to us as a group, not to acknowledge our very existence.

All because he believes that we create a bad atmosphere for the crowd and that we don’t uphold the university’s core values.

I’m sorry, but as a college student and an American, I have the right to be rowdy at sporting events (within reason, of course).

Love him or hate him, Alden’s legacy will be felt for a long time here in Columbia. The man has done a lot of good during his 17-year tenure, but there has also been a lot of bad, besides the injustices he has bestowed upon us.

And Mike: I hope you read this, as it could be a clearing of the air for both parties. An olive branch, so to speak, before you disappear from the spotlight reserved for the AD of a D1 university.